php/mySQL mysql_num_rows error i don't get.

i'm trying to make a code for my mailing list script so that the admin can delete a suscriber. here's the code:

<?
// include the variables, and connect to mySQL.
include ("sqlvars.php");
include ("sqlconnect.php");
// vars from form.
$name = $_GET['name'];
$email = $_GET['email'];
// delete query
$deleteresult = mysql_query ("DELETE FROM xyz
WHERE name = '$name'
AND email = '$email'
");
// if deletion successful ...
if (mysql_num_rows($deleteresult) > 0)
{
print "successful! query deleted.";
}
// if deletion not.
elseif (mysql_num_rows($deleteresult) < 0)
{
print "unsuccessful. either the name/address does not exist, or another error has occured.";
exit;
}
?>

and I get the error "mysql_num_rows(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in :/pathtofile."

i've used other functions to do it too, like 'mysql_affected_rows();' .. i just don't get what's wrong. other websites using this seem to work okay with it.

As far as I know, you cannot use this with a DELETE query. Like you said yourself, use mysql_affected_rows() or just check if the query is executed with a simple if-statement.

Cheers,

nope, it still won't work.

Try replacing DELETE in the Query to DROP. That may or may not work. I've seen it work and sometimes not work, but just by taking a quick glance at it, I remembered seeing somewhere that the command is called DROP

no. :/ it still won't work, even with the drop. i don't think anything is wrong with the mySQL command.. thanks anyway. I think its the if statement, 'cause thats where the server says the error is.

Sorry about that last suggestion, my mistake, lol. I took a look at your code, and I'm wondering where the result of the query is stated? What you would have to do is create a variable with a value that is actually giving the result of the delete query, so it might look something like this:
$result=mysql_result($deleteresult,"name");

What that should do is give you the result of the delete query, and if it's successful, it should have a value=0. So your if statement would change to something like this:

if (0==$result) {
echo "Delete Successful."
} else {
echo "Delete Not Successful."
}

That's a little one I can think of that might do it, or it might not. I'm sure there's probably 100's of solutions for it, being open source and all Hope that one works.

according to the php manual, the num_rows() is used in select querys, and the affected_rows (); is used in deletion and insertion querys